Long Way Down
 |
Book: Long Way Down Author: Jason Reynolds Publisher: Simon and Schuster Publication Date: October 24, 2017 Genre: Young Adult Fiction Book Synopsis Sixty seconds. Seven floors. |
Three rules.
One gun.
Will's older brother, Shawn, has been shot. Dead. Will feels a sadness so great, he can't explain it. But in his neighborhood there are THE RULES:
No. 1: Crying
Don't.
No Matter What
No. 2: Snitching
Don't.
No Matter What
No. 3: Revenge
Do.
No matter what.
But bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there's always someone else who knows to follow the rules.
Summary
The book follows Will whose brother was killed by gun violence. After this traumatic event, he is only interested in revenge. This is because he follows, "The Rules." These rules are passed down from no one knows who, yet everyone follows them. The rules are no crying, no snitching, and always get revenge. And, on Will's way to get "revenge" on the person who he thinks murdered his brother, he learns a valuable lesson in the short span of a minute.
Long Way Down Review
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds was a masterpiece, so I see why it won numerous awards. While the book is written in verse, which is very different from the books I normally read, I enjoyed it and its message. Also, most of the book takes place in a minute, and this really adds to the intrigue of the book. I found it to be unique and different. I also appreciate the amazing lesson that this book taught its designated audience and other audiences.
What I really loved about this book was the message. It talks about a current issue that is very important. And because gun violence affects so many people, books like this are very necessary and should be shared. Furthermore, this book shows the pain that those who are affected by gun violence face. We see how Will's brother being killed affects Will, his mother, and others in his community. Moreover, we see how the gun violence others in the gripping cameos of other characters. We read their stories, and how gun violence left a lasting impact on them.
My Rating
I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads and would highly recommend. Because it was written in verse, it was a quick read, but it still packed a very powerful punch. I am really grateful that I had the chance to read this book.
Where to Purchase
This sounds amazing! This is such an important and difficult topic, I am glad that this author wrote it so well. I am looking forward to reading this. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDelete